Watch real footage, and watch all of it
A promo video shows a band at its best for three minutes. You are hiring them for a whole night. Ask for longer clips from real weddings, ideally an unbroken stretch of a dance set, and pay attention to the parts a highlight reel would cut.
WeddingWire's guide to hiring a band or DJ calls a video of a past wedding the clearest way to judge a performer, and it is. Here is what to look and listen for.
- Transitions. Does the music stop while the band decides what comes next, or does one song run into the next?
- Vocals. Are the singers in tune and clear over the drums in a real room, with real guests talking?
- The dance floor. Who is dancing, and do they stay when the tempo changes?
- Announcements. When someone takes the microphone, are they brief, clear and warm?
- The setup. Is the stage tidy, and can guests at nearby tables still hold a conversation?
Meet the people who will play your wedding
Some companies sell a name and send whoever is free that weekend. Ask exactly who will be on stage, and whether the singers in the video are the singers you are booking. Here Comes The Guide recommends asking if the performers you chose are guaranteed, and writing their names into the contract.
Then talk to the person who will run your night. A good consultation feels like planning. The right band asks about your families, your venue and your timeline before it talks about packages.
Match the band to your crowd
Think about who will be on your dance floor at 10 pm. A band that only plays this year's hits will struggle with a room full of grandparents, and a band built on Motown may not have what your college friends want at midnight.
Ask for a sample set list from a wedding with a crowd like yours, and ask how the band changes course when a song does not land. The answer tells you whether they play a show or play to the room.
Read reviews for specifics
Read reviews on more than one platform and look for details: a named venue, a song the band learned, a moment the emcee handled well. Generic praise tells you little. Patterns tell you a lot, so read the middling reviews as carefully as the glowing ones, and notice how the band responds to criticism.
Questions to ask before you sign
- How many musicians will perform, on which instruments, and what can be added?
- Is everything live, or do you use backing tracks?
- Do you take breaks, and what plays while you are off stage?
- Who emcees, and how do you plan announcements with our planner?
- How do we share our music, and will you learn a song you do not know yet?
- What do you need from the venue: power, space, load-in time, a room to change?
- Do you bring your own sound system and an engineer to run it?
- Can you send a certificate of insurance that meets our venue's requirements?
- What will the band wear?
Press on the breaks question. Here Comes The Guide notes that bands have traditionally booked four hours as four 45-minute sets, each followed by a 15-minute break, and that continuous music, with musicians trading breaks, usually costs extra. Either model can work. You simply need to know which one you are buying.
Compare like with like
Two proposals can look alike and cover very different nights. Line them up against the same checklist: number of musicians, hours of live music, ceremony and cocktail hour music, sound system and engineer, emcee, lighting, overtime terms and travel. An offer that leaves out the engineer or the cocktail hour only looks smaller until you add those back.
What the contract should cover
A good contract turns every answer above into a line someone can point to on the day. Check it for these points before you pay a deposit.
- Date, venue, and the start and end time of each part of the day.
- The lineup: number of musicians, instruments, and any named performers.
- Overtime: whether it is available on the night, in what increments, and who can approve it.
- Breaks: how many, how long, and what music fills them.
- Meals: whether the band expects vendor meals, and for how many people.
- Setup and sound check: arrival time, and confirmation that setup ends before guests walk in.
- Insurance: a certificate with the wording your venue requires, delivered before the date.
- Equipment: sound system, microphones for toasts, and any lighting.
- Cancellation and postponement terms, including the plan if a musician is sick.
WeddingWire adds that many venues require vendors to carry liability insurance before they can work in the space. Ask your venue coordinator what the certificate must say and pass that wording straight to the band.
Red flags
- Nothing to watch beyond a polished promo, or clips too short to hear a full song.
- Vague answers about who will actually perform.
- A contract with no times, no lineup or no overtime terms.
- Pressure to sign today to keep an offer that expires tonight.
- Hesitation about insurance, or about talking to your venue.
- One fixed set played at every wedding, with no interest in your list.
One of these can have an innocent explanation. Two or three together usually mean the night will feel like their show instead of yours.